The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically detecting the size to be detected and an automatic analyzer using it.
An apparatus for automatically detecting the size to be detected is required in various fields, for example, a semiconductor manufacturing device and an analyzer and well known as described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2000-105247 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Hei 11-83865.
In a conventional automatic analyzer, to detect the height of a storage container such as a test tube or a sample cup for storing a specimen or a sample, as shown in FIG. 3, the light emission diodes 29 and the photo detectors (for example, phototransistors or photodiodes) 30 are arranged in an array state on the fixing plates 31 on both sides of a test tube, and changes by blocking off the light 32 generated by the light emission diodes by the test tube are detected by the photo detectors 30, and the height is measured.
The drive circuit 33 is connected to the light emission diodes 29 and the reception circuit is connected to the photo detectors 30. Further, by a laser displacement sensor, an ultrasonic displacement sensor, and a reflection type or transmission type laser discrimination sensor, the height of a test tube or the liquid level of a sample is detected. The aforementioned sensors are mounted separately from an optical information reader for reading the contents of a code pattern label attached to a container for storing a sample.
Furthermore, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2000-283824, use of a CCD sensor for reading a code pattern provided in a container for storing a sample, obtaining information, and detecting the height of the container is described.